Pipe-drawing apparatus.



A. M, SAUNDERS.

PIPE DRAWING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1, l ll' 1,281,66, Patented Oct. 15, 1918'.

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APPLICATION FILED MAY II. 19]].

Patented Oct. 15, 1918..

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AUGUSTUS M. SAUNDERS, or MeKEESPORT,"PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR To NATIONAL TUBE COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY. k

PIPE-DRAWING APPARATUS.

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' Applicationfiled May 11,1911. Serial Ne. szasrz. To all whom it may concern; provide improved means for drawing the Be it known that I AUGUSTUS M. SAUN- pipe by which the welding operations are DEBS, of McKeesport, 1n the county of Allefacilitated, the number of operatives is reghcny and State of Pennsylvania, have induced and thelabor cost of welding the pipe vented certain new and useful Improvements is decreased. 1

in Pipe-Drawing Apparatus, of which the- Referring now to the drawings forming following is .a specification part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan My invention relates to apparatus used in showing a draw bench constructed and arthe manufacture of pipe, and more .particuranged in accordance with my invention. larly relates to pipe drawing apparatus used Flg. 2 1s a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 65 'in making butt-weld pipe. is a detail side elevation of a portion of the Heretofore, with such pipe drawing appaapparatus, partly in section, showing the ratus, the tongs are attached to an end of the onstruction of the draw chain and the skelp and a welding bell is slipped over the means employed by which thechain is atreins of the tongs by the welder or operator. tached to the end of the tong reins in accord- 70 The end of onerein isthen attached by a once WIth my lnventlon. Fig. 4: is a transboy to the endless chain on the draw bench verse section of the draw bench, the section .by which the skelp is then drawn through being taken on the line IV- IV of Fig. 2.

- the welding belland butt-welded into a pipe. 'In the accompanying drawings, the draw AS the chain travels away from the furnace bench2 WhlGh is pivoted at its rear end 75 in pulling or drawing the-skelp through the and which at its forward end is provided welding bell, the boy slides along with the with track wheels 3 is arranged to travel on tongs and, after the pipe is welded and is a track provided for that purpose as from drawn clear of the welding bell, the boy dethe position shown in full lines in Fig. 1

taches the tongs from the draw chain'which into that shown by dotted lines. The draw so i is caused to constantly rotate over the bench when of considerable length as shown sprocket wheels located on opposite ends of is provided with other track whcels-3at suitthe drawbench on which the chain is able intervals in the length of the draw. mounted.v r bench.

On account of the speed at which the Mounted in bearings provided on opposite Welding operation is performed it has hereends of the draw bench are the shafts of the tof'ore been necessary to employ two boys for sprocket wheels 4 and 5. Mounted in bearthe purpose of attaching the tongs to and ings 6 on the pivot end of the draw bench detaching them from the draw chain. 2 is the shaft 7 for the sprocket wheel 5 which 35 With draw benches of the type to which drives the draw chain on the bench 2 and my invention is shown applied, one end of on one end of the shaft 7 is a spur gear 8 the bench is pivoted and the other end is which meshes with the spur driving pinion arranged to swing in the arc of a circle in 8 operatively connected by a flexible coufront of the discharge d or f a We ding 'pling to the armature-shaft of the motor 9 40 f n t end f the bench being moved on the base 10. A troughll extends lengthinto position opposite theend of the succeswise alongside the, draw bench 2 and at the -S1Ve p p sk lp lying Wlthln the furnaceend of the trough 11 are the sizing rolls 12 One object of my invention is to provide which are connected by bevel gears 13 and pipe drawing apparatus having impr d slow down gears 14 to the drivin motor 15 45 m an for drawing the pipe skelp from the on the base 16' located at the end of the draw welding furnace and through the welding bench. bell after the tongs have been attached in The draw bench 2 is pivoted atone end in holding engagement with the en of he such manner as to Permit the front endof heated pipe skelp by the welder. the-draw bench to be swung from the posi- 50 Another object of the invention is to 'protion shown in full lines into that shown in wide pipe drawing apparatus having means dotted lines in Fig. 1 intraversing? the for automatically causing engagement of the width of the discharge door in the we ding tongs by the draw chain after attachment of furnace in front of which the draw bench the tongs to the skelp to be welded. is operatively mounted. The swim in draw 55 A.- further object. of this invention is to bench is connected by telescopic ski s 1 with the stationary trough 11 and the fluid pressure cylinder 18 by whichthe draw bench is The drive chain is made up of a, series of.

links 20 pivotally secured to the ends of shorter connecting links 21 and at intervals in thelength of the chain, the links 20 are replaced by hook links 22 having forked projections 23 on one end thereof so that when the endless draw chain is mounted on the relatively long draw-bench there will be a series of links 22 on the chain having forked projections 23 thereon which will operatively engage the tong reins 24 by grappling with the button or projection 25 on the end of the vreins 24.

I Mountedin bearings 26 on the side of the draw-bench 2 is a shaft'or rod 27 and a keeper 28 is pivoted by oneend on the one end of the shaft 27, so as to swing across the top of the draw'bench and prevent llfting ofthe tong'reins out of engagement with the forked projections 23 onthe chain links 22 when grappled by the forked links. An operating lever or handle 29 is secured by one end to the opposite end of the shaft 27 to manipulate the keeper 28, this shaft extending from the front end of the draw bench to the. desired point in its length.

A trough forming a track 30 for the lower side of the draw chain is secured on the draw vbench so as to keep thechain from contacting with the floor during its movement over the sprocketwheels and-during the swinging movement of the front end of the draw bench in traversi-n the width of the discharge door of the welding furnace.

' At "one side of. the draw benchaninclined trough 31 is secured ingwhich returned to the front end" of the draw ench when detached from the pipe after the pipewelding operation has been completed. A stop 32 is provided on'the swinging end of the draw bench for the welding bells which I are slipped over the tong reins 24after the tongs are attached to the skelp by the operator known inthe-art as the welder and are seated in the recess 33 in this stop in the usual known manner. The guard 34 is provided. on .the swinging end of the drawbench to prevent the workmen from becoming injured by being squeezed between the furnace front and the swinging draw bench.

.In' the operationof my improved apparams the 'motor 9 is started and is operated to ordinarily kee the draw chain in constant movement. T e forward end of the draw bench is then moved'by manipulating the valve controlling'the operation of the cylinder 18 until the end of the draw bench I is in position in front of the discharge door of the welding furnace and opposite the desired piece of heated skelp. 'The welder the ton are then attaches thegripping'jaws of tongs tothe end of the heated pipe skelp and sllps a welding bell over the end of the reins of the tongs. The bell then engages with the stop 32, against which it rests during the pipe drawing operations in the usual manner, and the outer ends of the reins are laid by the welder in the middle of the width of the draw bench. j

An operative at the other end of the draw bench, by means of the lever 29, hen swings the bent keeper 28 from the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4 until the keeper 28 extends in a horizontal direction across the width of the draw bench above the reins 24 on the tongs then in holding engagement with the endof a heated pipe skelp located within the furnace. The forked projections 23 on the end of one of the links 22 forming parts of the rapidlymoving draw chain then engages with the projection 25 on the reins 24 and, as the chain link 22 in engagement with the reins 24 approaches the rear end of the draw bench the pipe skelp is drawn through the welding bell and is quickly welded -into a tube, the keeper 28 acting to prevent the ends of the reins 24 from lifting out of op-.

erative engagement with the forked projections 23 on the links 22 at the beginning of each pipe drawing operation.

When the skelp has been drawn-throughthe weldin bell and formed into a tube the tongs will e adjacent to the rear end of the draw bench and when this position 15 reached an operative who has lifted the ke eper 28 again into the raised position shown in Figs. 3 and 4, lifts the end of the tong relns 24 out .of engagement with the forks 23 on the link 22 of the draw chain 2 so as to disengage the tongs from the draw chaln.

The tongs are then detached from the end "the tongs lengthwise along the inclined extending transversely toward the trough 11 trough 31 where they fall into position to be I again picked up .by the welder and attached to another pipe skelp Within the furnace,"

The above described operations are then performed with successive pipe skelp in the continued use of the apparatus.

The advantages of my invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. By avoiding the use of the usual manually operated clamp or monkey for attaching the tongs to the draw chain, the service of one operative is dispensed with andthe costiof makingthe pipe correspondingly decreased.

' .to grapple. with the tong draw .bench' and means By providing means bywhich the ends of the tongs are automatically engaged by the draw chain, the making of defective pipe WhlCh always occurs when there is any slip in the rapid operations of drawing a pipe,

drawn through the welding bell comprising a draw bench having an endless chain thereon, means for continuously driving the chain, said chain having means engaging with the tong reins adapted to automatically rapple with the reins'when the reins are p aced in position on the draw bench and draw skelp in the, grip of the tongs.

lengthwise over the draw-bench and means on the draw-bench adjacent to the'reins en,- gagmg end thereof for preventing disengagementof the tong' reins and chain.

2. Pipe drawing apparatus having tongs by which the pipe skelp is gripped and drawn through the welding bell comprising a draw bench having an endless chain thereon, means for continuously driving the chain, said chain having means automatically engaging'with the tong reins adapted reins when the reins are placed in position on the draw bench and draw skelp in the grip of the tongs lengthwise over the draw bench and a keeper on the draw bench adjacent to the reins engaging end thereof movable into positlon to prevent disengagement of the tongs ang c1l 1ain.(1

ipe rawing apparatus having tongs by which the pipe skelp is gripped and drawn through swinging draw bench traversing the front .of a welding furnace and having an endless for swinging said chain' thereon, means for continuously driving the chain, said chain having means "automatically engaging with the tong reins bench and draw ske tongs through a wel 6o ipe drawing .ap aratus havmg tongs adapted to gras traverse the front of a wel the tong reins whenithe in osition .on the draw in the grip of the mg bell.

reins are place bywhich the pipe s elp is gripped an drawn through a welding bell compr s ng a pivoted draw bench arranged to swing and ding furnace, means for swinging the draw bench,.means at separated intervals onthe by which the pipe skelp is gripped an a welding bell comprising a bination 0 chain adapted v bination o a welding ie, tongs to engage with skelp gripped by the tongs through the pipe welding bell and a keeper on the swinging end of the draw bench movable into and out of position to prevent disengagement of the chain and tong reins when the chain grapples with the end of the tong reins at the beginning of the pipe drawing operations.

5. Pipe drawing apparatus having tongs by which the pipe skelp is gripped and drawn through a welding bell comprising a pivoted draw bench arranged to swing and traverse the front of a welding furnace,

means for swinging the draw bench, and means at separated intervals on the chain 7. In a pipe drawing apparatus, a draw bench, an endless draw chain having travel thereon, a welding die, skelp engaging tongs and means having endless travel with the drawv chain and adapted to engage the end the tong reins and draw pipedraw pipe skelp gripped by of said tongs while the chain is traveling and pull the skelp through the welding die. 8. Pipe-drawing apparatus having tongs by which the pipe skelp is gripped and drawn through the welding bell comprising a draw-bench having an" endless chain, means for actuating said chain, and'means on the chain adapted to automatically engage with the tong reins and draw skelp gripped b the tongs lengthwise over the draw-benc v I I 9. Pipe-drawing apparatus having tongs drawn through the welding bell comprising a draw-bench having an endless chain thereon, means for continuously driving the chain, v with the tong reins adapted to grapple with the reins when the tongs are placed in osition on the .draw-ben'ch-and draw ske p in the grip of the tongs lengthwise over the draw-bench. 10.-In a Fipe'drawin apparatus, the coma welding ie, tongs adapted to pass through the die and, to grip the skelp at one end and to be laid with its opposite end in. the path of a traveling. drawing means, and a traveling drawing means adapted to automatically engage such free end of the tongs .when-in-itszpath and to draw the skelp through the die. v

11. In a ipe drawin apparatus, the comadapted to I grip the skelp at one side of the die and to extend through the die to the opposite side and a traveling grappli g device adapted to automatically engage the free end of the tongs.

12. In a bination 0 and a traveling grappling device, said device and said tongs being adapted for auto- 10 matic engagement with each other.

13. In a pipe-drawing apparatus; a draw, bench, an,

ipe drawing apparatus, the com tongs adapted to grip the skelp endless draw-chain having travel thereon, a welding die,

skelp engaging tongs} 4 length -of the draw-chain and traveling 15 engage the end of said tongs while the chain therewith adapted to the skelp through the 1s traveling and pull welding die.

" In testimony whereof, Ihiive hereunto set my hand.

' AUGUSTU Witnesses:

C. H. STARR,

s M. sA qNDERs,

'JAS. P. DAVIS. 

